Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
COVID Liability Immunity Includes Slips and Falls at Hospital – Alabama High Court
Jan 29 2024 // When the COVID-19 virus spread across the country three years ago, dozens of state legislatures approved statutes that granted health care providers immunity from legal actions brought by people who claimed to have been...
New Jersey Supreme Court Rules Against Casino in COVID Business Interruption Case
Jan 26 2024 // New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that an Atlantic City casino is not entitled to payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak, determining that the presence of the...
Grubhub to Pay $3.5M to Massachusetts Restaurants for Overcharging During COVID
Jan 17 2024 // Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced a $3.5 million settlement Friday with the online food delivery service platform Grubhub. The settlement resolves a 2021 lawsuit brought by Campbell alleging Grubhub...
Massachusetts Hospital Wins COVID-19 Claim Under Disease Contamination Endorsement
Jan 12 2024 // A federal appeals court has ruled that a Massachusetts hospital is entitled to coverage for losses due to COVID-19 under a health care endorsement in its policy from Continental Casualty Co. The First Circuit Court of...
Missouri Urgent Care Chain Settles for $9.1M Over False Claims for COVID-19 Testing
Dec 27 2023 // ST. LOUIS (AP) – One of the largest urgent care chains in Missouri will pay $9.1 million to settle allegations that the company submitted false claims for medical services, including COVID-19 testing. The U.S. Attorney`s...
California Workers’ Comp Report Shows Written Premium Nearing Pre-Pandemic Levels
Dec 21 2023 // A new report from the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California shows written premium in 2022 was 14% above the previous year. The WCIRB’s Quarterly Experience Report is an update on...
During Pandemic, Surgeries Delayed, but Care on Track for Injured Workers: WCRI
Dec 5 2023 // Injured workers got timely initial help during the COVID-19 pandemic but faced a longer wait for surgery compared to pre-pandemic years. A new Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) FlashReport examined the time...
New York Court Upholds Nursing Home COVID-19 Immunity
Dec 4 2023 // A New York state appellate court has ruled that an April 2021 state law repealing a March 2020 grant of immunity to nursing homes over their handling of COVID-19 patients is not retroactive. The ruling means a nursing...
Texas Attorney General Sues Pfizer Over COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy
Dec 1 2023 // Pfizer has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who on Thursday accused the drugmaker of misrepresenting the efficacy of its widely-used COVID-19 vaccine. In a complaint filed in a Lubbock County state court,...
Australia Court Rules Carnival Negligent Over Cruise’s COVID Risks in Landmark Ruling
Oct 26 2023 // A cruise operator that failed to cancel a voyage from Sydney that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak was ruled negligent in its duty of care to passengers in an Australian class-action case Wednesday. The Ruby Princess ocean...
AIG’s CEO Sees Pandemic, Wars and Climate Change Among Biggest Risks
Oct 20 2023 // American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Peter Zaffino said the biggest challenge to the insurance sector over the last decade has been “unpredictable risks” including the pandemic, wars and...
Labor Commissioner Cites California Hotel $4.7M for Violating COVID-19 Right to Recall Law
Oct 19 2023 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Hyatt Regency Long Beach $4.79 million for reportedly failing to timely offer job positions to 25 employees laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic once the hotel...
17 Florida Sheriff’s Deputies Charged with Stealing $500,000 in Pandemic Relief Funds
Oct 17 2023 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Seventeen Florida sheriff`s deputies appeared in court on charges that they stole about half a million dollars in pandemic relief funds. The Broward County deputies, who are charged...
Medical Costs for Injured Workers in Delaware Fell During Pandemic: WCRI Study
Oct 13 2023 // Changes in the availability of medical services during the pandemic was one of the drivers of Delaware workers’ compensation claims costs in 2020 and 2021. A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute...
Florida Settles Lawsuit, Must Provide Denied COVID Data on Deaths, Vaccines
Oct 11 2023 // TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida will have to provide COVID-19 data to the public again after a former Democratic state representative settled a lawsuit with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis` administration over the...
WCRI: 6% of COVID Claimants Treated for Long COVID
Oct 6 2023 // A national study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute found that 6% of workers who filed claims for COVID-19 suffered long COVID, meaning they sought additional treatment more than a month after the...
California Workers’ Comp Written Premium in 2022 Was Near Pre-Pandemic Level
Oct 4 2023 // Written premium in 2022 was 14% higher than 2021 and almost at the pre-pandemic level – an increase was driven by higher employee wage levels and the economic Recovery, according to a new report out on Wednesday from the...
New Jersey Supreme Court Weighs COVID-Related insurance Claims by Casino
Sep 29 2023 // New Jersey`s Supreme Court is expected to consider whether an Atlantic City casino can get payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak, potentially providing guidance for...
NC Bars’ Lawsuit Seeking Damages from State Over COVID Closures Can Continue
Sep 8 2023 // RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — Portions of a lawsuit filed by several North Carolina bars and their operators seeking financial damages from the state over COVID-19 restrictions that shuttered doors and curtailed business can...
Appeals Court Dismisses 14 COVID Business Insurance Claims Against Travelers
Aug 31 2023 // The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed lawsuits by 14 businesses seeking insurance coverage from Travelers Insurance for business losses stemming from COVID-19 and the related government shutdown orders. The...
